Beans, Beans, the ultimate food source.
Wisconsin
Contributors to this thread:
I have been seeing some pretty spectacular bean plots out there the last few months. I have never done it, as I have never had enough real estate to prevent them from getting wiped immediately.
I could have done the perimeter protection, but with less than an acre available, the second I opened it up, with the deer numbers I have, it would have been destroyed in a week.
All has changed, and I have a decent amount of tillable. Next year I want to give those spectacular legumes a go.
My questions are what are people experiences for producing a dynamite bean plot? I do not have access to a drill or planter. What's everyone's typical routine for beans from soil prep to full grown plant? Appreciate all responses, but can the nay-sayers please ignore the thread.
FA, I can't help you on the beans as I too lack the land to allow them to grow. But, I want to say Congrats on increasing your tillable land mass! I look forward to seeing your progress.
Beans don't generate the tonnage/nutrition to justify the input costs and effort unless money is no consideration.
Skook, there are already mass amounts of alfalfa, corn, and beans for harvest around the property. I also have rotating acres of cereals and brassicas. I am not concerned.
The one thing lacking is late fall, winter food. After all crops are harvested, and snow/frost has killed everything else. Beans are a huge magnet, and a great winter source, which is primarily what this plot will be for.
Soybeans are easy super simple to grow. I will assume your soil is good and you have done a soil test, etc. Here is how I do it. Lime/Fert as needed, the same day we till it, broadcast the beans, cultipack with ATV. Then spray Glyphosate at 4 weeks again if needed at 8 weeks, fertilize in mid summer. You can cultipack with just the ATV tires (I've done that) or even driving your truck over the plot (done that also), we now use a water filled roller we bought at Fleet Farm. We have also had the plot plowed, then disked, then broadcast the seed... Really, planting soybeans is really simple with no planter needed. BC
Then I would plant bulbs. Better tonnage, excellent nutrition, far less expensive.
For our farm beans and corn is king. I've planted alot of turnips, multiple yrs, not much luck as far as attracting deer. Radishes planted mid July get huge and are ate to the dirt but not until February. Beans I've considered to be a huge benefit to deer for the high protein and calcium. With high deer #s you need to plant at least 2 acres. I've yet to see any plant attract deer early and late like beans. The first 2 weeks of bow season if you have green tops, you will have the deer. If you have standing beans in late oct-nov, you will have deer. Broadcasting works well, just throw out more seed that's recommended. Pack with tires.
BC, thanks for the input. I also have a water rolled, and wasn't sure if that would achieve the necessary depth. Glad to hear it. I no longer own a tiller, but have a disc.
So discing, broadcast, and roll would work? Do you broadcast heavier due to loss?
Mr Bones,
Thanks for the info. I agree beans are king. Food source starting in early summer all the way until the last plant is picked clean in the winter, with the exception of a few weeks of drying in September. Not much can compare. I have seen deer pass up everything in Nov/Dec for a standing bean field. Next year it is looking like I will have 17 acres to work with all in all, so I should be able to get a pretty large stand.
This is the equipment and results. Of course we have a 2 acre field surrounded by the farmers beans otherwise the deer would devour ours.
Not sure where the people came from but there was a Mossy Oak tufline disk and Polaris Sportsman 850 involved more than man power.
Fantastic looking plot DBL. Just a disk and an ATV? Did you use the tires to compact after broadcast?
Getting it done with the same equipment. Sportsman 500 HO and Loyal Disc Harrow
Great stuff in this thread!!! I wish I had 2 acres to dedicate to beans. Keep the pics coming.
out shining last night, saw some great bucks, in the soybeans
My seeder.
My seeder.
My process, use spring tooth set to 5", work up plot, spread bean seed, work up plot with spring tooth set to 3", roll beans. Spray as required at 4- 6 weeks. Then broadcast Radish turnip and rape mix into beans for double crop.
Bean and Brassica mix.
Bean and Brassica mix.
Note, at early stages, meaning from seed emergence until12" high, I deter deer from using it by broadcasting human hair from the barbershop, hanging Zest soap bars around the plot and spraying the fringe of the plot with Cayenne pepper/ water mix. I had beans that were over 3 feet tall and had 20-30 pods per plant. 1 acre plot.
Trapper, Some good ideas between your mix and deterrents. One fine looking plot with a ton of browse.
Frigid, maybe tonight when I get home I will post a picture of the beans when they overtook the brassicas and Skyys head.
Lol, that's a pretty damn good bean crop to hide your pup. How did you come across that spring tooth drag? Looks like it does an amazing job.
I see them often on Craigslist for $75-$150.. I probably have 6-7 of them that I either dug out of fencelines or picked up for a case of beer from old farmers.
lucky man! I do have a disc, but adjustability is difficult for attempting to cover seed. At the mercy of the terrain.
Trapper- Whats the minimum depth you can set a spring tooth? Wondering if that would bury clover and winter rye seed too deep going over it with that.
Too deep Reggiezpop. When I plant clover, I work the soil with springtooth, roll, spread seed and roll again. I think you could get away with it on winter rye. Just basically scratch the surface at 1 inch but knowing fully well that a lot of the seed will be on the surface. Roll and all will be good.
Clover I know is 1/4", but I believe the recommended depth for WR is over an inch anyway isn't it?
I've had good luck with just rolling clover. Just enough to make sure it has firm contact with the soil.
Another reason I like beans is as soon as the leaves start turning yellow, broadcast winter rye, turnips, radishes. As long as there is exposed soil, it will grow. I try to do it before a good soaking rain.
Weird question. Has anyone ever planted a small plot of beans only to disk them under and plant a fall/winter plot or clover plot on top? If the plot of beans is small they most likely will get hammered and late season nothing will be left. So maybe dialing them in late summer would improve the soil for the next plot? Just a random idea. Not sure if that’s a thing or not.
Reggiezpop, I've never had the deer allow my small plots to grow beans. They break the surface and they are gone. I have used buckwheat/GRO Soil Builder in the spring/summer to improve my plots and keep something in the ground helping to prevent weeds and grass. Any "green manure" will work if the deer let it grow and you till it under. My soil is sandy. My plots started as beaches. I have only tilled (with a drag harrow only) each plot once and now only use throw and roll. Throw and roll is not good for beans though. It works great with all the grains, clover, chicory, and brassicas.
On occasion, I have used an electric fence around some of my smaller plots. Three grounding rods pounded into the ground are the only permanent things associated with it. The electrifier is powered by D batteries that last about a month. There are also units that use solar panels with the battery. I use fiberglass poles that I put three strands on and add another set of poles with one strand about 2 feet outside of the first. This seems to make it a bit more difficult for the deer to jump the fence. For sure a few still get in but the difference between the crop inside the fence as compared to outside of it is huge.
Reggie,
No reason why it couldn't work. Beans, as a legume, would fix nitrogen for your next plot, but not as fast as clover does. I guess it would all depend on how fast the herd devoured it. If they mowed it down in a week after emergence.....probably not worth the cost, and something like buckwheat or clover would work better as a temporary "green manure" plot.
If the plot for the most part lasted until you were going to till under, doesn't hurt anything.